[Stoves] Reports from ETHOS meetings: the future of TLUD research

[Julien Winter]

Hi Alex;

Thanks for you vote of confidence in people like me and Kirk Harris.

I think you raise an interesting point about grass-roots level research.
While it is vitally important to have state of the art research using very
expensive gear to characterize the molecular composition of gases, etc.,
and use computer simulation modeling, it is also important to foster
research in the field.

There is a lot to be said for people who run hundreds of trials to get
stoves to work for their particular situations.  They will see things and
test ideas that will not have been thought of in the laboratory.  Kirk's
stove is an excellent example.   Many of these people put in their own time
and money.  If they got small amount of support and encouragement, I think
will bring a huge payback on the investment.  Not only would they make
discoveries, but they would become a pool of technically adept people
around the World.

There are a few things that I think would be helpful.
1) Establish an on-line library on the basics of combustion science with
topics on buoyance, turbulence, gas combustion, and reaction kinetics,
etc..  Tutorials on instrumentation and measurement and calibration are
vital to make sure that good quality observations and interpretations are
made.  The basics of how to run an experiment are also important.
Understanding the social science of cookstove use and dissemination is
vital.
2) Provide access to academic papers behind the pay-wall:
2a) Pay journals to make some key articles open access.
2b) Allow developers to apply for funding for a membership to a university
library.
3) Have a source of funding which innovators can submit proposals to
get basic gear such as thermocouples and CO meters.
4) Establish good lines of communication and mentoring between combustion
scientist at universities and field researchers.
5) Provide mentoring and a means for them to publish their findings.  The
Journal of Humanitarian Engineering is a good example.
6) Help fund travel to present their finds at conferences like ETHOS.

There are just a few ideas.  I think that this kind of support would have a
huge impact for stove developers in countries where the stoves are to be
used.  For information exchange, "Dr. TLUD" and bioenergylists are already
very helpful.

Above, I have focused on science and technology.  However, a similar
argument could be made for social science, and it is vital that workers
from different disciplines have a basic understanding of whole picture.

I come to stoves from the agricultural sciences.  We have a saying: "every
farm should be an experimental farm."  In other words, science should not
be just top-down from institutions, but should also be bottom-up.

Thanks again for your vote of encouragement, Alex.  One of these days, I
should make a trip out the Burt's Greenhouses.

Cheers,
Julien.

-- 
Julien Winter
Cobourg, ON, CANADA
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